Is it permissible to use the terms khal (maternal uncle) or khala (maternal aunt) for the wife's father or mother?
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The questioner : Your Eminence, among the customs followed by us in al-Qasim is calling the wife's father khal (maternal uncle), and likewise calling the wife's mother khala (maternal aunt). Some people use the terms 'amm (paternal uncle) or 'ammah (paternal aunt). Some of the brothers heard you in your tafsir (exegesis) of Surat al-Nisa that it is not permissible to use these names for the wife's father or mother. What is the alternative, and what is the correctness of this statement? May Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh : As for the wife's father, he is not called khal (maternal uncle) or 'amm (paternal uncle), because he is not a khal (maternal uncle) in the Shari'ah, nor an 'amm (paternal uncle) in the Shari'ah. Likewise, the wife's mother is not a khala (maternal aunt) or 'ammah (paternal aunt). Therefore, it is not befitting to call the wife's father khal (maternal uncle) or 'amm (paternal uncle), nor is it befitting to call the wife's mother khala (maternal aunt) or 'ammah (paternal aunt). Rather, they are called by the name given to them by the scholars of knowledge, which is "as-Sahar" (in-laws). One says: "My in-law is so-and-so," "My wife's father is so-and-so," "My in-law (female) is so-and-so," "My wife's mother is so-and-so." As for calling them by names that do not describe the qualities implied by those names, that is not befitting.
However, we did not say that it is haram (forbidden). Perhaps the one who heard my words, i.e., my saying "it is not befitting," thought that this means prohibition. It is better for a person to name things by their true, Shari'ah names. For this reason, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade us from calling the 'Isha' prayer "al-'Atamah." He said:Sahih Muslim 644b, just as Allah the Exalted said: [An-Nur 24:58], and He did not say "al-'Atamah." Al-'Atamah is the Bedouins' term for the time when their camels are milked at night. So the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade the Bedouins from imposing their terminology on us regarding the naming of the prayer with other than its Shari'ah name.
The Shaykh : As for the wife's father, he is not called khal (maternal uncle) or 'amm (paternal uncle), because he is not a khal (maternal uncle) in the Shari'ah, nor an 'amm (paternal uncle) in the Shari'ah. Likewise, the wife's mother is not a khala (maternal aunt) or 'ammah (paternal aunt). Therefore, it is not befitting to call the wife's father khal (maternal uncle) or 'amm (paternal uncle), nor is it befitting to call the wife's mother khala (maternal aunt) or 'ammah (paternal aunt). Rather, they are called by the name given to them by the scholars of knowledge, which is "as-Sahar" (in-laws). One says: "My in-law is so-and-so," "My wife's father is so-and-so," "My in-law (female) is so-and-so," "My wife's mother is so-and-so." As for calling them by names that do not describe the qualities implied by those names, that is not befitting.
However, we did not say that it is haram (forbidden). Perhaps the one who heard my words, i.e., my saying "it is not befitting," thought that this means prohibition. It is better for a person to name things by their true, Shari'ah names. For this reason, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade us from calling the 'Isha' prayer "al-'Atamah." He said: